How to Order at a Steakhouse

For all their elegance and tradition, steakhouses can be intimidating places to dine. The maître d’ in a three-piece suit, the old-man waiters in their starched white aprons, the rich mahogany tables and leather-bound menus, and that “market price” denotation next to several menu items all indicate a level of sophistication that has to be learned over time. Wouldn’t it just be easier to just hit up your favorite Italian restaurant or French bistro?

Of course, steakhouses are still the quintessential “special occasion” spot, a once-a-year restaurant meant for birthdays, anniversary meals, or when someone else is picking up the tab. No one’s a regular at a steakhouse—unless you’re a corporate card-carrying client entertainer or a mafioso—so it can be hard to ever not feel like a deer in headlights when entering these temples of beef. What signs indicate that you're getting quality beef? Which cuts are the most flavorful? Is it tacky to ask to look at the meat before it's cooked?

But you need not worry any longer, as we've tapped several experts to reveal some insider tips for how to navigate the complexities of ordering at a steakhouse: Kim Owens is the Vice President of Operations for Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House in Manhattan, chef Wade Wiestling works for Mastro’s Steakhouse, and Raymond Weber is executive chef at CUT NYC.

From differentiating the tenderness of various cuts, to explaining dry-aging and Japan's esoteric beef grading system, these pros will help you order confidently next time you decide to ball out at a steakhouse.

Study up on the meat packing houses.

If you're a New Yorker, it's easy to see the words Pat LaFrieda and know you're getting quality steak. True enough, but that's not what we're talking about here—Pat isn't raising livestock and slaughtering cows. Today's best cuts of American beef are typically coming from four or five big packing houses in Iowa, Illinois, and Nebraska, such as Greater Omaha Packing. "If the restaurant claims 'USDA Prime' from those three states, you're gonna get a quality beef,"explains Weber. The animal has the range to walk around in those places." And, sure, Texas still has great Angus beef too, but if your steak is coming from anywhere else, you might be smart to be leery.

The most tender cuts are never the most flavorful.

If you want the most tender steak on the menu, order a filet, as it is very low in fat content. But if you are looking for the most flavorful cut, go for the ribeye—it's highly marbled and packed with very flavorful fat. "If you are afraid of commitment, go for the strip as it is going to be [somewhere in between]," Owens says. "If you are still confused, think about ordering the porterhouse as it has both a strip and a filet."

Image via Getty/Phil Clarke Hill

The best steak on the menu isn't necessarily the most expensive one.

Even though the Wagyu long-bone ribeye might be the most expensive steak on the menu, it might not necessarily be the best one. Chef Wade explains that if you want a simpler, cheaper steak that will still taste delicious, go for the New York strip: "You still get the unmistakably juicy flavor, without the full on decadence of a bone-in ribeye." Weber also thinks people are sleeping on short rib: "You can go to any restaurant and pay $65 for a good steak. But often for the same weight and better quality, you can get a short rib. It's not one of those highly sought-after steaks either, so it's usually only $40."

Learn Japan's numbering system.

Japanese beef at a steakhouse is pretty loose term. "That could be a crossbreed of a Japanese cow that was raised in Australia," notes Weber. True Japanese beef comes with a verification to prove it, a slip that offers the animal's place of origin, date of slaughter, and quality grade. The latter is crucial for a would-be steakhouse expert to learn. A-5 is the highest quality grade; you need to also look at the BMS (Beef Marble Score) on a scale of 3-12. At 10+, expect to see a very marbled steak; 12 will be as marbled as you'll ever see and extremely expensive, around $30-35 per ounce. These are qualities to brag about, though Weber warns that it's so rich in flavor that you'd struggle to eat much more than an ounce or two.

Image via Getty/Jean-Francois Monier

A good steakhouse has nothing to hide.

Believe it or not, there's nothing cheesy or ostentatious about a steakhouse that displays its raw meat in a glass cooler by the front door, or has its waiters walking around with uncooked cuts on a tray. "I actually encourage customers to ask to view the steak before it’s cooked," explains Wade. "It allows us to show them the quality of the meat." He notes that you should look for a bright red color, abundant marbling, and a good size and thickness. "For what you are paying at a high-end steakhouse, don’t be afraid to see what you are about to eat."

Always shame your friends into ordering medium-rare steaks.

Despite what Donald Trump will tell you, "medium-rare is the best temperature for steak," explains Wade. Sure, there’s nothing technically wrong with preferring your meat a little more red or a little more cooked, whether “Pittsburgh rare” or “black and blue.”But Wade notes that medium-rare is "when steaks are at their most tender, juicy, and flavorful." (Weber adds one crucial exception: "Sirloin I like a little more medium as its a texturally denser meat. When it's medium rare, you have to chew on it too much.")

Image via Yelp

Be skeptical when a steakhouse claims they're dry-aging in-house.

Dry-aging is red-hot in the steakhouse world, and for good reason: It adds an amazing texture and flavor profile to the beef. "The aging really pulls out the natural sweetness in the meat, breaks it down, and turns it so much softer," explains Weber, who has his sirloins and ribeyes dry-aged for 35 days each. Having said that, dry-aging isn't a matter of simply hanging meat in an empty supply closet. Most purveyors—like a LaFrieda, who handle Weber's—do the aging for the steakhouse, according to how many days they want. So you should question places that claim they dry-age the meat themselves. In order to do that, they would need a special room and HACCP certifications to meet health codes.

If the inside of the steak is puffy, it wasn't cooked right.

A steakhouse will always rest a steak after it's cooked, but a good one will also rest it before it's cooked. If the meat is being stored in the walk-in, you don't want to immediately cook it. It should rest first, allowing it to warm to around the 50 degree mark so it's not still chilled on the inside. "If it's really puffy-looking inside once you cut into the meat, it probably went straight from a 34-degree walk-in to the hot pan," says Weber.

Image via Getty/AFP

If you're with a large party, order a magnum bottle of wine.

The more marbled the steak, the bolder the wine should be. "Nothing pairs better with a ribeye than a big, rich California Cabernet Sauvignon," notes Owen. And although magnums can seem intimidating, or out of one’s price range, they're actually a deal. A magnum of wine is the equivalent of eight glasses, while a three-liter equates to 16 glasses. For a party of four or eight, these are the perfect size bottles if your guests can handle two glasses each. Wine ages beautifully in a larger format bottle, and you'll enjoy the extra sense of ceremony when it's brought to your table.

Being anti-steak sauce is not necessarily a pro move.

While steak sauce gets a bad rap from most self-proclaimed experts, it shouldn’t necessarily be ignored. Yes, dousing a pricey steak in A.1. will make you look like a total noob, but many high-end steakhouses now make their sauces from scratch to pair well with the cuts they offer. If it’s not listed on the menu, ask your server what sauce or even butter enhancements the chef might recommend. Believe us, no one is going to think you're a philistine for slathering your steak in bone-marrow butter or bourbon peppercorn sauce.

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